Name: Sauteed Shrimp with Sofrito Cream Sauce
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 8 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Carribean
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons Olive oil; 1 pound Shrimp, deshelled and deveined; 1/2 tablespoon Sazon seasoning; 1 teaspoon Garlic powder; 1 teaspoon Black pepper; 1 cup Sofrito; 2 tablespoons Heavy cream

Take me to the Recipe

Sauteed Shrimp with Sofrito Cream Sauce are tender, juicy and bursting with savory flavor. This quick and easy pescatarian dish is the perfect protein to serve with just about anything!

For more saucy shrimp recipes, try my Shrimp Brochette with Garlic Butter Cream and Shrimp Boil with Garlic Butter Sauce.

Jump to:

Why We Love This Sauteed Shrimp Recipe:
What is Sauteed Shrimp?
Ingredients you need:
How to Thaw Shrimp
How to Peel and Devein Shrimp
Instructions to make Sauteed Shrimp:
Seasoning Variations for Sauteed Shrimp:
What to Serve with Sauteed Shrimp:
Pro-Tips:
Storing and Reheating:
FAQ:
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
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This sauteed shrimp is so simple but also super flavorful. It's tossed in seasoning like Sazon, a Puerto Rican spice, then sauteed with a sofrito based cream sauce. This pan fried shrimp will have you clamouring for seconds before you even finished your plate!

Why We Love This Sauteed Shrimp Recipe:

Quick and Easy! When you need a fast meal, this dinner entree is the solution. It's ready in less than 10 minutes.

Super Versatile! You can make this a weekly staple and never get tired of it. Shrimp tastes like whatever you season it with so flavor it however you would like. Then serve it with your favorite sides for variety.

Downright Delicious! There are many ways to enjoy sauteed shrimp but this sofrito cream sauce is one of the best.

What is Sauteed Shrimp?

Sauteeing is a cooking technique that involves quickly cooking food over high heat. Shrimp is perfect for this method because it cooks very quickly.

Ingredients you need:

Olive oil: Use to pan fry the shrimp.
Shrimp: Remember to deshell and devein.
Sazon seasoning: A ready made blend of coriander, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
Additional Seasoning: I use extra garlic powder and black pepper. (No kosher salt needed since the Sazon contains salt.)
Sofrito: Sofrito is a chopped or pureed mixture of fresh garlic, pepper, tomatoes, onions, and herbs. When blended together, these ingredients make a rich, savory sauce that's perfect for sauteeing shrimp. Check out my quick and easy sofrito recipe to whip this up in just minutes!
Heavy cream: This makes the sofrito sauce creamy.

How to Thaw Shrimp

Frozen shrimp is great because you can keep shrimp stored for longer. But when its time cook sauteed shrimp, you want it thawed as quickly as possible. Here are two methods:

Leave frozen shrimp in the refrigerator to defrost overnight.
Place frozen shrimp in a large bowl with cold water for about 15 minutes, occasionally stirring. Pat dry before using.

How to Peel and Devein Shrimp

When you are using frozen shrimp, it is important to allow it thaw out prior to cooking. With fresh shrimp, you can devein it right away. Here are the steps to peel and devein shrimp:

To peel the shrimp: You will start by removing the head of the shrimp (if it is on). Then flip it over and peel the legs off. Then you will pull off the outer shell. You can keep the tail on for presentation purposes, or pinch it off as well.
To devein the shrimp: use a small paring knife to cut a slit in the back of the shrimp. The vein has a black string like appearance. Use the knife and your fingers to get it out. Discard the vein.

Instructions to make Sauteed Shrimp:

Season Shrimp

Preheat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Then place the cleaned shrimp in a bowl, and sprinkle in the Sazon, garlic powder, and pepper. Toss the shrimp to fully coat it with the seasoning mixture.

Cook Shrimp

Then place one shrimp at a time, into the preheated olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, and flip it over then cook for another two minutes.

Add Sofrito

Pour the sofrito mixture directly into the large skillet and mix it together with the shrimp. Simmer for one minute, then drizzle in the heavy cream. Mix the cream in with the sofrito and shrimp, simmer for 1-2 minutes. Serve sauteed shrimp as-is, or over a bed of rice, or alongside mofongo.

sauteed shrimp with sofrito cream sauce in a pan

Seasoning Variations for Sauteed Shrimp:

Cajun: Fresh garlic, butter, and cajun seasoning.
Lemon Butter: Fresh lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and butter.
Honey Garlic: Your favorite honey and minced garlic.

What to Serve with Sauteed Shrimp:

Make sauteed shrimp into a meal by adding it to something equally as delicious. For this recipe, I paired shrimp with mofongo but here are some other yummy ways to enjoy it:

Rice
Fajitas
Pasta
Veggies: Throw your favorite vegetables directly into the pan and make this a stir fry. I suggest broccoli.

Pro-Tips:

Be sure to buy uncooked shrimp. This means either buying the shrimp fresh or frozen, but with the peel and/or tail on. If the shrimp is already pink when you purchase it, that means that it is precooked. When the shrimp has a grey, translucent-like color, that is when you know it is fresh.
Use the highest quality shrimp you can find for the tastiest results.
Do not overcook the shrimp or it will lose its flavor and be rubbery. You will know the shrimp is cooked when it is light pink and slightly curled.

Storing and Reheating:

Sauteed shrimp is best enjoyed immediately. But if you want to store leftovers, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

The best way to reheat shrimp is over medium-heat on the stove. However, the texture will not be the same as when it was freshly cooked. Avoid using the microwave because the shrimp will just become rubbery.

FAQ:

Is it better to saute shrimp in butter or oil?

For this recipe, I sauteed the shrimp in olive oil. Butter can be used but olive oil has a higher smoking point which makes it ideal for sauteeing.

Why is my sauteed shrimp tough?

If your shrimp is tough, it was overcooked.

How long does it take to saute shrimp?

Shrimp is cooked perfectly between 3 - 6 minutes total. The cook time may vary depending on shrimp size and thickness. Jumbo shrimp can take up to 6 minutes whereas medium shrimp may take 4 minutes. Small shrimp can take as little as 2 minutes to cook.

More Shrimp Recipes to Try

📖 Recipe

Yield: 2 servings